The Fox's Reluctance Redux
by Tetsu dollface
Summary: What if Naruto wasn't oblivious to Hinata's feelings? What if he actually returned those feelings but acted like he didn't to protect her? And why does he keep talking about becoming a baker? Naruhina. This is a rewrite of my first story. Please R&R
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I would like to thank all those who took the time to read my first story "The Foxes Reluctance" it was short I know. I was nervous as to what the reaction might be so I dipped my toes into the proverbial waters and was surprised no one said it sucked. So now with a new found courage I am writing the story how I originally wanted to. It should only be several chapters long and I will update as often as I can. So without blabbering too much I bring you the first chapter of The Fox's Reluctance Redux. Yay Naruhina! R&R.**

**I will never own Naruto. I just like fan fiction.**

**The Fox's Reluctance: Chapter 1**

The first time he saw her was like a fleeting dream. The most hated boy in konoha. That is what he was and Naruto knew it all too well. Everyone always glared at him. Those eyes never held any kindness for the poor orphan child and with the exception of Old Man Hokage it was something Naruto had grown to expect. That's not to say that it didn't hurt every single time but he had learned long ago to hide behind a mask. But when he saw her for the first time and saw those curious pale lavender eyes his mask slipped. In those eyes he saw no malice and that slight smile proved that fact. Like a fleeting dream that moment vanished when she quickly looked away and the moment grew cold. He was shunned once again but like a flickering candle that moment stayed with him even if it was over in a matter of a second.

It took two long years before he saw that strange girl again. It was the start of Naruto's fourth attempt at the final year at the academy. He was almost ready to stop it all together. He just wanted to be like everyone else and this was a ninja village so he had to become a ninja. He didn't know how much longer he could keep striving for something that didn't seem like it would ever happen. Maybe he could be a baker or something. 'The most hated baker in the hidden leaf village!' Naruto thought with heavy sarcasm. At least that was his thought moments before she walked in. Then all intelligent thought went out the window. It was at that moment only her.

Their eyes met for only an instance but it was like he was sent back in time two years. Her pale lavender eyes held the same kindness, the same lack of malice and that soft smile proved that fact. But just like last time the moment was gone before it could be fully grasped. Naruto's heart sank as his eyes fell to his desk. 'Yep the greatest baker who is hated by everyone.' Yet still that flickering candle which had started to dim found itself with a new strength. 'Well maybe I could stick it out for a little while longer.'

Time continued onwards like it usually does and Naruto found himself listening to the instructor's lesion. Again. For the fourth time. Hinata was the only thing that made the days bearable. Although each moment was over in an instant it was the only thing that kept him there. She was his anchor and he found himself anxious for the next fleeting moment. He quickly caught on that she would often stare at him only because he would often be staring at her. And soon he came to a rather astounding conclusion.

He loved her. Completely. Who wouldn't love her? How could he not love her with every fiber of his being? She was the first person to acknowledge him when no one else would. She saw pass the prejudice that the villagers had and saw him, the real him. She was the first of his precious people. No one else ever looked at him with any kindness. He would always catch her staring at him from out of the corner of his eye but she would look away blushing when he would return her gaze. He would catch her following him around the academy but could tell there was no malice in it. She cared for him and he knew it even then. He loved her cause she loved him. But that was not the only reason, no far from it.

He loved her gentle nature the most. She was always so kind and sweet. A little shy but that only made her more endearing. Besides he found her blushing cute. She was also beautiful. Her pale lavender eyes would always take his breath away and he could lose himself in her eyes. He always watched her even if she never caught on to it. She was amazing. So reserved but seemingly possessing some kind of inner light that made her shine. He had eyes only for her. He had been in love with her for years.

Of course this wasn't seen by others. Most believed Naruto was completely blind to Hinata's feelings for him. Of course this is exactly what he wanted. He had grown up really good at hiding behind the mask of a complete idiot. He hid his true feeling from the hateful villagers out of fear. Fear that they would turn their hate on his most precious person. He wouldn't allow that to happen. So he played the part of the dimwit who didn't seem to know how that pale eyed princess cared for him. It hurt so bad seeing the sadness in her eyes when she thought that he didn't care for her. But it was a necessary evil.

He wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and announce his undying love for the hyuuga heiress. When she was sad he wanted to make her smile again. He loved her smile. One day he would pursue her like he always wanted. "I'm going to be Hokage so that everyone acknowledges me!" That is what he started to say to everyone. That was his dream. No one knew that it was because of his desire to be with Hinata. If the villagers acknowledged him and didn't hate him anymore then he would be free. He could make his ultimate dream of being with her come true.

He acted like he liked Sakura knowing full well that Sakura was Saske's ultimate fan girl. He knew he could pursue her without worry of ever actually succeeding. It would seem weird if he showed no interest in any female after all. But he wished he could try with Hinata. But he couldn't, not until he was Hokage and didn't have the entire village hating him. That would take a long time and there was a chance that Hinata might fall in love with someone else. It would hurt but Naruto knew that as long as she was happy then he would be happy too. She deserved to be happy. Naruto wasn't selfish enough to deny her happiness.

So he threw all he had at that final attempt to be a ninja only to fail. Again. His dreams were gone and he was crushed. As he sat on his swing and watched the smiling faces of his former classmates he was lost in his sorrow. Reluctantly he stole one last glance at Hinata just in time to catch her looking at him. Her eyes showed that she was concerned for him. Typical Hinata. He had to look away as his heart clenched in his chest. That's when Mizuki approached him. He was always wary of Mizuki but when told of the other way he could graduate he jumped at it. It was his only hope after all and if it meant he didn't have to give her up then he would risk it.

Needless to say things didn't exactly go as they should of just like everything else in Naruto's life. He found out he was a demon and that was why everyone hated him. Could Hinata possibly love a demon? But Iruka showed him the truth. He wasn't the demon he jailed. He was Naruto, simply Naruto. Her Naruto. And in typical Naruto fashion he became a ninja. The most surprising knucklehead ninja. He would do whatever he had to, would climb any hurdle for his dream. 'Hokage.'

"Well at least I don't have to be a baker…"

"What did you just say Naruto?"

"Oh umm… Nothing Iruka-sensei"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I'm so sorry for the late update my readers. I could give the same old lame and obvious excuses as most fan fic writers and state that such and such came up and this that or the other thing but I won't waste your time. If you must know I was on my way to writing this fan fic when all the sudden a black cat crossed my path and I had to take the long way around. Then wouldn't you know it this little old lady asked me if I could help her carry her groceries… umm tell me when you start buying it. Well with much more apologizing I present to you the long awaited (It's been like **_**2 weeks**_**…) second chapter of The Fox's Reluctance Redux.**

**I don't own Naruto.**

**Updated to fix Sasuke's name. Thanks for the catch Rose Tiger.**

**The Fox's Reluctance Redux Chapter 2**

He was a ninja. Finally. To say that Naruto was ecstatic would be an understatement. After all he had been through over the years he had finally had something to be proud of. He was a ninja. Granted he didn't do it as he had originally planned but it didn't change the fact that he had done it. And he owed it all to Hinata. She had given him a reason to keep going, to not give up and never say die. As Naruto sat in the classroom for the last time only one thought kept running through his mind. He was one step closer to being able to show that shy sweet girl just how much she meant to him.

Now if only he could be put on the same team as the girl he loved. Naruto didn't know if he could handle spending that much time with the heiress without doing something stupid. He doubted if he could stick to his plan if he had Hinata around him all the time. He had to become the Hokage before he could pursue the beautiful girl that haunted his dreams. She was part of his dreams every night. Their entire romance played through his head every time he laid his head down on his pillow. There were some mornings that he wished he would never wake up again. In his dreams he had her and never had to let her go. Curse the sun for taking that away from him.

He listened as Iruka-sensei called out the members of each team but his luck didn't hold out as it had the previous night. He was stuck with Sakura and with Sasuke. That kid had the social abilities of a rock. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, at least it was better than baking pastries. Naruto let his disappointment go as he put back up his mask. It would raise too many questions if he didn't act like his old hyperactive self. He stole one last look at her and silently prayed that he would see her again someday. With a heavy heart he decided that the only thing he could do was to throw himself head first into his new ninja career so that one day he would be able to do as he did in his dreams. He would become the man she needed him to be. The man she deserved him to be.

Again time went on like it always did. Naruto didn't see much of his crush over that time. He went on many missions and developed a new found hatred for cats. It was hard at times though. Like his first real mission to a place called wave country. Which was also where it really hit home how dangerous shinobi life could be. People died on missions. That terrified him to his core but hopefully nothing bad would happen to Hinata. If it did he would break, there would be no reason to keep on going. The best that could happen then would be him becoming Sasuke, only concerned with vengeance.

Finally it was time for his next big step. The Chunnin Exams. That's also where he saw her again. She was just like he remembered her, she was still his Hinata. He felt even more determined now to pass this exam and especially when he found that she was sitting next to him for the first part of it. Passing this was almost a certainty at this point. That is until he found out that it was a written exam. 'Maybe it won't be too bad. I can do this…' Then he read through the questions. 'Okay or maybe I can be the first baker to become Hokage.' Naruto was now in a serious panic. How could he possibly do this? Did he happen to cross some sort of deity in the past who now was exacting harsh vengeance on him? 'I think I am going to throw up.'

Hinata. She was so close but at that moment Naruto could feel her slipping farther and farther away. Yeah Naruto was definitely starting to get more and more depressed as the time went on. There was no way he could possibly do this. He failed the academy three times and now he was about to fail the next step. How many times could he possibly hope to have to take this again? At that moment where things seemed like they couldn't get any worse something happened. His shy timid girl turned to him and tried to offer him the answers she had. Hope sprang in him. But if he did this and they were caught Hinata might get in trouble. She might get kicked out. How could he possibly live with himself for ruining this for her?

He as politely as he could declined her help. It was too big a risk and he would never do anything unnecessary to hurt her. He had already hurt her enough as it was. But that small gesture of caring sparked new determination in him. He would bet it all on the final question. She had given him all the strength he needed. When the proctor gave out the new rules for the final question Naruto was determined. She had made him determined. He would not back down. He would not fail. He would not fail her. That's when he caught a glance at the girl beside him. He saw the uncertainty in the way her body spoke. She had given him strength and he would give it back to her.

His speech worked as he saw Hinata sit a little straighter in her chair. Ibiki had no choice but to announce that they had all passed. Naruto looked down at his blank test sheet and smiled. Once again he had succeeded just not in the way he had originally planned. Maybe whatever deity didn't want to crush him, maybe that particular deity just got a kick out of messing with him.

The second exam was tough. Add to the initial challenge with Orochimaru attacking them and it seemed almost impossible. But Naruto was determined. He knew that his paled eyed princess would be there at the end of it. He would not let her down. With that determination he pushed on and completed the second exam. Sure enough Hinata was right there where he knew she would be. When the preliminaries for the finals were announced he was happy that he would not have to fight Hinata. That would be awkward. It was bad enough he had to fight her teammate Kiba. He was certain that she would hate him when he beat Kiba. But much to his surprise not only did she apparently not hate him but offered him some ointment for his wounds. She was an amazing person.

Then her fight came. Neji was a far stronger opponent but Naruto cheered his heart out for Hinata when he saw that Neji's words were getting to her. He would support her like she always supported him. But Neji proved to be too much for Hinata as he proceeded to strike her ferociously. Oh yes Neji was a dead man if Naruto had anything to say about it. He rushed down to her side after Neji's failed final strike. It would have been undoubtedly lethal. He hurt her. He hurt Hinata. Neji would pay. As Naruto made the vow on Hinata's blood that fact was certain. Just Naruto's luck, in the finals his first match would be against Neji.

On the day of the final's Naruto beat Neji. Many had thought that his victory was impossible but Naruto showed how wrong they were. It was a hard fought battle but Naruto could not give up. Neji had hurt Hinata. Neji had tried to kill Hinata. Neji would not win. He kept his anger in check as much as he could though. He knew that Hinata was a kind and gentle girl. She would probably not be happy if Naruto killed her cousin, even if he deserved it. As he stood over his defeated opponent he only hoped that Hinata was watching. Naruto had fought hard for her and he felt proud. Maybe just maybe she saw a glimpse of how much she meant to him.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Alright I am currently stuck at home so I guess I should probably try to continue on with my story. This chapter might have a slightly different feel to it and I hope it doesn't ruin the story for any of you guys. **

**T0 Solvdrage: Yeah sorry about the short chapters, this is my first real attempt at writing… anything really. I would love to see Naruto and Hinata get together now but I already have a particular idea of where I want this story to go so just bear with me. I have a feeling you will like it. Thanks for your reviews and so far you are my favorite reader. **

**I don't own Naruto.**

**So now that I have gotten that out of the way (I love my readers!) on with Chapter 3.**

**The Fox's Reluctance Redux: Chapter 3**

Konoha was healing. Orochimaru had done quite a bit of damage. Buildings could be rebuilt, things could be fixed but Konoha was changed. The death of the Hokage had left a scar. Old man Hokage, _his _Hokage was not around anymore. The funeral had been tough to deal with. It was the first time Naruto had lost one of his precious people. Hinata had been his first precious person but since then Naruto had added plenty of people to that list. Old man Hokage, Sasuke, Sakura, pervy sage and Kakashi-sensei were now all precious to him. She had given him the courage to let those people in.

Naruto had lost his grandfather or at least the closest thing he had to family. He couldn't believe it. As Naruto walked through the village his thoughts were heavy with worry. So far he had seen death on a mission but this was the first time he had seen death at home and Naruto was powerless to stop it. 'Can I really ever be strong enough to protect anyone?' He was glad that he hadn't lost anyone else but this event had caused more worry for the young ninja. Would he ever be truly strong? He had always wanted to get stronger so that he could become Hokage. He wanted to be stronger for her because she deserved it. Now he wanted to be stronger to protect her, to protect all his precious people.

The village had definitely changed. Naruto had noticed it. While not everyone had given up there hatred for him he had noticed that some of the stares he was getting were no longer glares showing their hatred. Some actually looked proud of Naruto, seeing him in a whole new light. Rumors had spread about the fight with Gaara. While some thought it was just two monsters fighting others saw it as something else. Naruto had put his life on the line to protect their village.

Slowly but surely he was winning over the villagers. Never had Naruto felt like his dreams were more possible. Not only had he gained some respect but Granny Tsunade had given him her necklace. Jiraiya had told him the hidden meaning behind it hence why he never took it off. Tsunade was quickly added to the ranks of Naruto's Precious People. This time around he would protect his Hokage. He would get strong enough to protect everyone. No one else had to die for his failures.

Another thing changed for Naruto. Life seemed a lot more fragile. Time was not a luxury most Shinobi could have. There was no telling what tomorrow would bring and Naruto didn't want to ever have any regrets because of that. Hinata could die, as much as it pained him to admit that fact. So he made a very brash decision. He would confess to his princess. He would not let fear cloud his judgment anymore. Besides the village was a lot less hostile to him nowadays. Maybe things would work out now. At least that was the initial thought. Saying something and doing something were two completely different things.

Naruto was afraid. Afraid of what Hinata might say about his feelings for her. Granted he knew that she loved him, but for some reason when faced with having to tell her his feelings he was a lot less certain then when he was watching her from afar. So far since his trip with Jiraiya to bring back Tsunade he had made no less than four attempts to walk straight into the Hyuga estate and confess his feelings for her. And no less than four times he got as far as the gate only to turn around and run away much to the confusion of the pale eyed guards.

'I can fight a giant demon made of sand but say three little words to her and I run away like a coward. What am I? Five years old?' With slightly shaky legs he made his approach. This would be attempt number five if you didn't count all twenty times he didn't even make it past the door to his apartment. Which of course Naruto didn't count. He also didn't count the three times he started walking there only to get "sidetracked" into doing something else. Nope those didn't count either. Shikamaru thought it was really odd though when Naruto randomly showed up to watch clouds with him sporting a slight blush.

Naruto could now see the Hyuga estate ahead of him. He could see the all too familiar guards he had seen four times today. Was the one on the right smirking at him? Despite the fact that his palms were sweaty there was an ice cold dread in his gut. Naruto's once confident strides were quickly becoming timid shuffling towards the now openly smirking guards. Weren't Hyugas supposed to be stoic and emotionless robots like Naruto always secretly thought they were?

"Is there anything we can do for you Uzumaki-san?"

It was then that Naruto noticed he had arrived at the front gates, and had been standing there staring at the ground not saying anything. His heart pounded in his chest. He had to say something. "Umm… Hi?"

"Hi. Is there anything we can do for you? I highly doubt you came all this way just to make small talk with us. Congratulations on making it all the way to the gates this time by the way" The other guard said with a smirk. He had to bite his tongue to hold back openly laughing at the now blushing blonde boy in front of him while thinking that Naruto was reminding him of a certain clan heiress he knew.

Any response Naruto would have made died on his lips as he tried to think of any kind of response to the initial question. It took almost everything he had to keep his knees from trembling in front of the Hyugas in front of him. 'Why is my mouth so dry? Maybe I should go back home, drink some water, and try again later.'

"Is something wrong Uzumaki-san?" The guard's pale eyes danced with mirth and he sported a knowing grin. The Hyuga weren't blind and far from stupid. It was blatantly obvious that lady Hinata had a severe crush on the foxy boy and it was quickly becoming clear that said boy definitely had feelings for the girl as well. If it had been a month ago many within the clan would have been upset about this turn of events but after Neji's defeat and turn for the better many had grown a deep respect for the orphan boy. Even the clan head Hiashi had to admit he was glad for the impact the boy had caused in his eldest daughter. That didn't mean that he was going to just let his daughter date the poor boy, he did have his duties as a father after all but he was entertaining the thought. Well maybe in a few years when both had grown up a bit.

"Are you here for anyone in particular? Perhaps you were looking for Neji? Well I'm sorry but he is off training with his team." The guards couldn't help it. There was some deep satisfaction in messing with the boy who was notorious for his pranks. Naruto was clearly not enjoying this as much as they were. Suddenly the guard got a sinister glint in his eyes. "Or perhaps you weren't looking for Neji. Might you be looking for the heiress? Hinata is inside."

Naruto's head shot up at the mention of her name. Panic was written very clearly on his face as he squirmed under their smirking faces. His eyes darted from side to side, wracking his brain for some kind of response. The first guard got a remorseful look at seeing the state of the boy. Maybe they had been a little too mean in their teasing of the boy.

"Oh so Neji is off training with Tenten huh well I… I will go find him then. Later!" and with that Naruto was off like a shot. The guards turned and looked at each other before bursting out laughing. Next time he came to the gates they would be nicer to him but opportunities such as these didn't come around every day.

Naruto ran and ran until he collapsed outside his apartment door completely out of breath. Slowly his nerves were getting back under control. He couldn't believe how those guards had messed with him like that although he could tell that it was all in good fun but that didn't mean he wouldn't pay them back. It had been a long time since Naruto did a good prank and plans were already forming in his head. Else where two pale eyed men shivered as a cold chill worked up their spines. They quickly looked around and shrugged, although they couldn't shake the uneasiness that they were feeling.

So far after deciding this morning to confess his feelings Naruto hadn't even come close to actually succeeding in his goal. He decided that maybe trying again tomorrow would be for the best and maybe he would get lucky and there would be different guards at the gate tomorrow. But when he woke up that morning fully intent on finding the pale eyed beauty he was interrupted with a knock at his door. Shikamaru was at the door when he opened it and the boy seemed to be missing the lazy attitude that usually would be present. Something clearly had happened and if Shikamaru was this serious then it had to be something big. Sasuke had left the village last night and Shikamaru was asking for him to come along on the retrieval mission.

With one last thought of Hinata he went with his lazy friend, he would have to put his plans on hold for the moment. He had to save Sasuke. He wouldn't lose another precious person. Not now, not ever. And when Sakura asked him to bring Sasuke back to her he couldn't refuse. He would save Sakura's love just as he hoped someone would do the same for Hinata if he ever went missing. They set off after the last Uchiha and Naruto would bring him back. Even if he had to beat some sense into the emo's head, it was a long time coming after all.

As they gave chase slowly but surely they had lost one of their teammates after another. Each had decided to stay behind to let the others continue the pursuit. As Naruto chased after his teammate towards the valley of the end he let one last thought distract him from his mission. 'You had all better make it back home. I won't forgive any of you for not being there when I drag Sasuke back.'

Sasuke was on the other side of the river. Now all Naruto had to do was convince his friend to come back to Konoha with him, a task easier said than done. Seemed like nothing worked as Naruto had originally planned. Maybe he should just stop trying to plan things. But that was a thought for another time as Naruto battled his best friend. How could Sasuke leave Sakura like that? Naruto could not imagine leaving Hinata behind. Someone would have to be a heartless monster to do that to someone who cared for them that much. But clearly Sasuke was a monster. He certainly looked like one at the moment. As their final attacks approached each other, chidori versus rasengan, one thing was clear. Naruto was trying to save his friend and Sasuke was trying to kill his.

As pain shot through Naruto's body and blurred his vision he knew he had failed. He was not strong enough. Why could he never be strong enough to save his precious people? As he lost consciousness one thought went through his mind. 'Hinata… am I strong enough… to protect you?' As he succumbed to the darkness a single tear fell from his eye.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hello, sorry about the recent "Update" to this story I had to fix some spelling and grammar mistakes. I'm going to reread this chapter a couple times so that I can catch them before uploading which is difficult because I'm usually so excited to upload that I kinda forget to do that. Well I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far, we are slowly getting closer and closer to the end. There should only be a few more chapters left so I put a poll on my profile for what kind of story I should do next. Also I take requests so feel free to submit them and if I find one I really like I will write it. Also please read and review cause it makes me happy. Now onwards to the story!**

**Brief pit stop along the way to the story. Yeah so I don't own Naruto… You got a problem with that?**

**The Fox's Reluctance Redux: Chapter 4**

Failure. Total and utter failure. Sasuke was gone and Naruto only had himself to blame. The last thing he could remember was Sasuke walking away and darkness, total darkness invading his mind. 'Am I dead? Is this how it ends?' Naruto didn't know how long he had been trapped in this darkness but it felt like an eternity. Naruto opened his eyes to the world. The light which rushed in to where there had once been only darkness was blinding. His eyes immediately snapped shut to block out the harsh light. That's when he heard it, a soft giggle coming from in front of him. Slowly he opened his eyes this time. Getting use to the light his eyes started focusing on the object in front of him. A pair of lovely pale lavender eyes overtook all of his vision.

"Good morning Naruto-kun. If you don't wake up soon you are going to be late meeting your team." With the confirmation that it was Hinata when he heard her voice he promptly let out a girlish scream, jumped out of the covers and lacking any grace at all fell out of bed. His head hit the floor first, quickly followed by the rest of his body, and finally the blanket that had tripped him as he tried to get away from the woman he loved. He heard another giggle from above him. Craning his neck to look back the way he came, he quickly saw long dark hair framing an angelic face with pale lavender eyes. Although now getting a good look at her something was clearly off. She seemed even more beautiful which Naruto didn't think could be possible. But something else was off. She seemed taller but that could simply be a trick of the position he was in.

"Are you okay? You should really stop waking up like that. It can't be good for your head. Besides I said if you don't wake up soon you were going to be late. You still have plenty of time so calm down. Now should I go make breakfast or are you going to come up here and cuddle?" Cautiously Naruto got back to his feet, never once taking his eyes off of the woman in front of him. It was clear from the curves of her body that she was a woman. But something in him told him it was Hinata. Apparently his staring was getting at the beautiful woman as a blush appeared on her face, she slightly turned her head away from the man she loved. "H-how can you still look at me like that?"

"Hinata-chan? You are so… breathtaking. You are even more of an angel then before." The blush on her face intensified at hearing those words. She reached out slowly and grabbed his hand, slightly pulling to coax him down on the bed with her. Naruto was soon sitting next to the shy woman whose head was lowered, staring at him through her bangs. Slowly she leaned forward and brought her lips to his in a soft, chaste kiss.

"Thank you Naruto-kun." She said softly, almost whispering it. Giving Naruto's hand a soft squeeze before she proceeded to get out of bed and head towards the door. Turning only once to look back at the man who had his mouth agape with a shocked expression on his face she giggled again. "Hurry up and get dressed. Breakfast will be ready shortly." With that said she disappeared into the hallway leaving the still shocked Naruto sitting in bed.

It took a while for Naruto to eventually get over the shock of Hinata kissing him and finally get dressed. Sure enough when Naruto wandered into the kitchen breakfast was waiting for him. He took his seat and stared into the lavender eyes of the woman sitting across from him. She smiled at him before she started to eat. Naruto soon followed her example and soon they were contently eating the delicious breakfast.

"Naruto-kun you should hurry up and finish eating. You don't want your team thinking you have turned into Kakashi-san do you?" Naruto ate the last bite and soon found himself standing at the door with Hinata by his side, her hand gently holding his. She leaned in and kissed him gently on the cheek. "Have a good day my love."

Naruto froze for a second before turning his head and capturing her lips in another soft kiss. "You have a good day too Hinata." She smiled sweetly at him before gently pushing him towards the now open door. Taking a reluctant step outside Naruto turned around and looked at the paled eyed princess in front of him. "I love you, Hinata-chan."

"I love you too Naruto-kun" With that he turned and walked away, the smile never leaving his still tingling lips.

Naruto wasn't sure why but his feet seemed to know exactly where to take him. As we walked through the crowded streets of the village he was surprised. Everyone was smiling at him, some even stopping and giving him a warm greeting as he passed. Something was weird here but he couldn't really complain. Eventually he found himself leaving the bustling streets and heading out towards the training grounds, particularly towards team 7's training ground. What he found on his arrival was three youths.

A purple haired girl with a light, green jacket was currently chasing a laughing boy around the training ground with a kunai. Said boy seemed unconcerned, laughing the entire time.

"Kenta! Get back here! I swear when I get my hands on you I'm going to wipe that smile off your face dog boy!" Kenta started laughing even harder as he started running around a tree, the furious purple haired girl hot on his heels.

"Like I'm dumb enough to do that! And you say dog boy like it's a bad thing, Hikari!" Kenta had to speed up as Hikari swung the Kunai at him, barely missing cutting off some of the boy's wild shaggy black hair. He quickly darted across the clearing "Ahh! Save me Sumiko!"

"It was unwise to make a comment about how green and purple don't go together. Also adding in how she will never find companionship with her current appearance would make this the most logical outcome. Why do you persist in antagonizing her Kenta?" She said monotonously as she sat against a tree. Reaching up she adjusted the sunglasses concealing her eyes from view and slide a few strands of long black hair behind her ear which immediately fell back over her eyes. When the small black and white puppy on her lap started whining again she returned to petting its head.

"Dude, do you ever talk like a normal person? Why did I have to get stuck with an Aburame and a purple headed banshee as teammates?" Kenta had to dive to the side as the kunai that Hikari was holding was suddenly thrown at him.

"Will you three knock it off! We will never get down to training if you guys keep goofing around all day." Naruto yelled across to the three youths. He smiled as they all raced over to where he was and stood in a line. "Now Hikari wouldn't it probably be a bad thing if you killed your teammate?"

"But Naruto-sensei he started it! He keeps calling me ugly and saying that I will never get a boyfriend."

"Now Hikari-chan. Kenta only says those things to get a rise out of you. You are a very cute girl and I'm sure you will have tons of boys chasing after you all the time. Just ignore him and he will stop teasing you so much. You are a ninja now so you have to learn not to be manipulated by your enemies so easily."

Hikari blushed at her sensei's words. "So Sensei what are we going to learn today? I bet it is going to be some awesome jutsu that you created right? You are so cool Sensei!" She was literally bouncing in place right now, her short purple ponytail swaying back and forth behind her.

"Jeez you are so bi-polar." Next thing anyone knew Kenta was face down on the grown, a large bump appearing on the back of his head. Hikari's fist being where Kenta's head was only moments before, her giant smile never leaving her face.

"Kenta it would be unwise to say that when the subject of your statement is within striking distance" Sumiko said as she slid the strands of hair back behind her ear, only for them to return to their usual spot covering her left eye.

"Well I am going to teach you all one of my signature techniques. This one brought down not only a Sannin but also a Hokage. It's a transformation jutsu and when combined with the bunshin it is an unstoppable technique."

Naruto was heading back home after finishing training his students. He chuckled as he remembered their reaction when he showed him his technique. Sumiko seemed unimpressed but both Kenta and Hikari had to be woken up after passing out due to blood loss. Once all three had learned it Hikari decided it was her ultimate weapon against Kenta whenever he teased her. He couldn't run away if he was unconscious.

Slowly his apartment building came into view. Naruto couldn't wait to get back home so he could see Hinata again. Maybe if he was lucky he would get another kiss. He had been thinking about her all day and now couldn't wait to get back home. Deciding walking was taking too long he started jogging then running back to his apartment. His grin grew with every step until it threatened to split his face from ear to ear. He took the steps two and sometimes three at a time. Finally on the appropriate floor he slowed down as he approached his apartment. Something seemed off.

The front door was already opened as he stepped inside. It seemed like no one was home and he saw no sign of the paled eyed goddess he loved dearly. "Hinata? I'm home." Naruto called out, only silence answered his call. Cautiously he made his way through his apartment room by room. There was a pot of boiling water in the kitchen and what looked like ingredients for dinner tonight, but no sign of Hinata.

"Hinata, are you here?" Naruto called out again, only the increasingly frightening silence answered him. Slowly he walked down the hall to the closed bedroom door. Panic was coursing through is veins now. The door handle felt icy to the touch and he turned it and pushed the door open slowly. "Hinata are you in…" The words died in his throat as the door opened all the way. Naruto's eyes went wide as tears threatened to fall down his face. There on the bed and not moving laid the body of Hinata. Her pale lavender eyes gazing sightlessly at the ceiling, her shirt a dark red color, she was a still as the grave. The setting sunlight coming through the window cast long shadows across the body on the bed.

"H-hinata…?" Naruto quickly made it to the bed and tentatively reached out to touch Hinata's face. Her skin seemed so cold and she didn't stir at all when he lifted her head and put it on his lap. "H-hinata this isn't funny… come on wake up. Please wake up." Naruto's voice was thick with tears as water poured from his eyes and fell on the face he would always see in his dreams. He started shaking her, trying to get any kind of response from her. He couldn't lose her. She was his everything. She couldn't be gone. He started shaking her harder as he stared into her lifeless eyes. Her head fell to the side, staring at the wall.

"You weren't strong enough to save her dobe" Naruto's eyes went wide hearing that familiar voice from behind him. He turned to see a pair of red eyes staring fiercely at him. The sharingan bore into him as rage bubbled up inside him. He let out a feral growl as he lunged at the man standing in the doorway. He wanted nothing more than to rip this man, no this monster apart. Instead of hitting him he went straight through him and impacted the wall of the hallway leaving a crater in the wall.

"You weren't strong enough to save any of them. You are weak and because of that weakness all that you have loved is gone." The man then gestured down the hallway which was littered with the bodies of all of Naruto's precious people. Naruto yelled to the heavens as his eyes turned red, his pupils becoming slits. His clawed hands wanting nothing more than to tear into the man in front of him as rage overtook everything inside him. He dove once more at the man who had taken away everything he cared about only this time he didn't pass through him. He made a very satisfying impact as he carried the red eyed man with him through his bedroom and into the wall on the other side. Crashing through the wall and falling to the streets below.

Sometime through the fall Naruto had lost his grip on his prey and now the man was standing on the other side of the street smirking at the enraged blonde. When Naruto was about to run towards the smug monster across from him he stopped when he heard the sound of the screaming villagers who were crowding around them. "It's the demon! He is going to kill us all!" One villager shouted as he pointed to the demonic looking Naruto.

"You are weak. You can't protect anyone and you are nothing but a demon. You are even more of a monster than I am. How could anyone ever love someone like you?" Naruto watched as the sharingan morphed into an all red eye with a black slit. Naruto was now facing himself who never lost the smug grin the previous person had. "Everyone you ever knew is going to die and there is nothing that a weak demon like you can do about it."

The villagers hateful shouts of agreement were more than Naruto could take as he collapse to the ground sobbing. Hinata was dead. Everyone was dead. He couldn't do anything to protect her or any of his precious people. Naruto curled into a ball and cried as the villagers were getting closer and closer. They began pelting him with rocks and shouting hurtful things at him. He had failed in everything he had wanted to do. Naruto waited for death to come and claim him. Although he doubted he would be allowed to see her on the other side. How could he possibly face her on the other side after failing to protect her? As darkness surrounded him and the world before him faded from view he shouted out one last time. "Hinata!"

Naruto's eyes snapped open and he found himself staring at an unfamiliar white ceiling. The beeping of the machines next to him and the sound of his thumping heart in his ears was the only sound he heard as he realized he was in a hospital room. He tried to sit up but the sudden crippling pain in his chest forced him back down onto the bed. Was all that just a dream? Naruto's heart that was thumping in his chest started to slow.

"Seems like someone had a bad dream." Naruto turned towards the sound of the voice only to find Jiraiya sitting in the window. "After what you have been through I would be surprised if you didn't have some kind of nightmare. I'm sorry about Sasuke. What he did to you must have been rough. It always hurts when you lose a friend." Jiraiya had a faraway look in his eyes before focusing on the blonde kid before him.

"I wasn't strong enough to save him. But I'll get stronger, I have to. I have to protect everyone. They won't die again."

Jiraiya gave the blonde a confused look before smirking. "Well then I have good news for you gaki…"

Naruto stood at the gates of the village. He wished he could of said goodbye to his friends but every time he thought about it he would remember his dream. He would remember their lifeless faces and couldn't bring himself to face them. He wasn't strong enough to protect them from all the threats of the outside world. But all that would change. He would get stronger for them. He wouldn't let them down a second time. He wouldn't let her down a second time.

It was going to be a long time before he could return to the village but when he did he would be strong enough to protect them from anything and everything that would ever threaten them again.

"Believe it."


End file.
